Chapter 4

Company

Miles was out of bed the second his father called him to get ready. Giddy with excitement, he chose to wear a plain white t-shirt, khakis, and a plain black sports coat, knowing that even while shopping for school supplies, he would never be able to get away from the interviews. Tugging on his white trainers as he went, Miles headed downstairs for breakfast. 

His parents were already downstairs, waiting for him. James already sitting in his place as Lily passed him a bottle of syrup to drizzle over the stack of pancakes in front of him. James eyed his outfit appreciatively. "Good choice son, no doubt there'll be news crews there, and as annoying as they are, you might as well look good."

Lily smiled as she set a stack of pancakes before Miles as he sat down. "He always dresses great." With a smirk, she added, "I don't recall you ever looking like that when we were his age."

James was defensive. "I had a very nice style sense, thank you very much." He ran a hand through his mop of black hair. "Besides, this masterpiece here was all anyone really looked at."

Miles instinctively brought his hand up, running it through his hair. With it all messed up like that, he was a dead ringer for James, though Miles' hair was slightly lighter. Looking around the table, he noticed something. "Dad, where's Harry?"

They both looked uncomfortable. "Miles..." James started, "We don't think your brother should come with us."

"Why not?" He looked at Lily. "Mum, why not?"

"Honey, you've noticed that Harry doesn't really like coming to our social events. And introducing him to everyone now, well it would make a bad impression." 

James nodded, chiming in, "It would damage our reputations, and more importantly, yours."

Miles shook his head in disbelief. "Well, you can't just hide him forever. He'll be coming to Hogwarts with me, everyone will know then."

They looked at one another, not speaking a word, but Miles knew that this hadn't occurred to them in that one glance. James cleared his throat, and Miles caught Lily's barely audible whisper. "We need to call Dumbledore."

James swiftly walked over to the fireplace, tossed in the floo powder, and shouted, "Dumbledore's Office!" Mere minutes later, he was back, with the older man in tow.

"Miles, I believe you don't understand the situation here," Dumbledore said as soon as he saw Miles. 

"Oh, I don't? By all means, enlighten me." He stared defiantly back at Dumbledore, and the older man had to look away due to the intensity of his glare. 

The man took a deep breath and began to speak. "Harry isn't-"

"I'm not what!" Harry cut him off as he came down the stairs, and by the look on his face, he had heard the whole thing. Lily and James attempted to shoo him away, but Harry stayed where he was, glaring at Dumbledore.

Instead of showing any indication that Harry had spoken, Dumbledore didn't take his eyes off Miles and continued speaking as though he hadn't been interrupted. "He isn't as adept at magic as you are my boy, and I have reason to believe that he is no more than a squib."

Out of the corner of his eye, Miles could see Harry tense up with rage. He shook his head as inconspicuously as he could, trying to tell his brother to not do anything. Harry glanced at him, then did the exact opposite. Harry closed his eyes in concentration, sending a burst of magic that sent Dumbledore up in the air, then pushed him back, making the man land on the floor in a heap after crashing into the wall.

He stood up, eyes shooting daggers at Harry. "Mark my words, you will regret this. You may be going to Hogwarts, but I will see to it that you are made miserable."

Harry scoffed. "I'm not scared of an old coot like you."

James pulled Harry back. "Enough!" He then proceeded to make a great show of dragging Harry upstairs, though Miles knew he was being gentle and took him up to his room. A few seconds later, the slamming of the door could be heard, though Miles again knew that it was all just for show. Nevertheless, James had slammed with such force that Miles was sure that it had either come off or nearly had come off its hinges.

James came back downstairs, attempting to act as though nothing had happened. Dumbledore followed his lead. With a cheery grin, he said, "I do hope you enjoy Diagon Alley," to Miles. As Lily and James went over to the fireplace, he continued, "I expect you to floo to Hogwarts to resume your training." 

☆

After that, they somehow managed to go about their day as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. 

They'd flooed over to the Leaky Cauldron, and James had revealed the brick archway leading into Diagon Alley with a few taps of his wand, nothing Miles hadn't experienced before. He'd been to Diagon Alley of course, but for other occasions.

He'd gone to several meet-and-greets at Flourish and Blotts. He joined other "celebrities" in shaking hands with strangers, autographing their copies of "The Vanquisher of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named", and other titles published in his honor. He'd hated every single one of those. Being famous wasn't as great as some made it out to be, but if he were destined to be so, Miles would much rather be known for something he had consciously done. 

The trips to Florean Fortescue's had been much better. He'd go with his mum and dad, and sometimes he managed to convince them to bring Harry along. They'd sit at the same table, and look at the menus, though they all knew what they were going to order. James would order a scoop of Butterbeer, and Lily would order the Raspberry with drizzled chocolate. Harry would order Treacle Tart, and Miles would either take Butterbeer or, as he did on most occasions, the Forbidden Forest Fudge, something Uncle Moony had introduced him to and that Miles had absolutely adored. 

Today though, they were shopping for something that MIles was both excited and yet not for. School supplies. 

They began by going to Gringotts, where Miles was once more acquainted with the Potter family fortune, a fortune that had been promised to him. He'd been permitted to enter with his satchel, and filled it with Knuts, Sickles, and Galleons. James had assured him they had plenty to go around, but Miles had only wanted to take what he needed. Besides, unbeknownst to his parents, he'd brought a smaller bag for Harry, and filled it with coins as well. 

After that, they went to Flourish and Blott's, which was mercifully not as crowded as when he'd previously been there. Of course, there was the usual assortment of people who asked him to sign their various copies of books mentioning him, but otherwise, it was rather peaceful.

In addition to his school books, Miles took a few on dueling, Quidditch, flying, and some on animagi, knowing that they were necessary for his preparation. He also purchased plenty of ink bottles and quills, his favorite of these being a bottle of invisible ink and a handsome eagle feather quill. He tried to get a few Harry would be interested in, such as potions, but his parents declined, saying Dumbledore wouldn't allow it. They'd bought Harry's school books secondhand, apologetically explaining to Miles that they'd been instructed, once again by Dumbledore, to do so.

The Apothecary had been rather dull, though he'd purchased a nice cauldron made of copper, and a handsome set of silver scales. Lily had taken care of the potions ingredients he would need, seeing as James had apparently forgotten everything he'd learned in Potions class when he was in school. 

Eyelops had been nice, he'd purchased a beautiful snowy owl with piercing amber eyes. He'd refrained from naming her, deciding to ask Harry when he got home, as he'd gotten her for him. In addition to her, they'd gotten a cage, mainly just for the train ride, as Miles wanted her to be able to go where she wished, and a large box of owl treats. 

The next stop on their trip was Madame Malkin's to be fitted for his robes. James and Lily accompanied him in, and after making sure that only the highest quality robes were chosen for their son, of the standard black variety, they left to get Harry. So it was just Miles and Madame Malkin.

And of course, the other boy who was in there with the two of them, being fitted for his robes. Madame Malkin got started on Miles, instructing him to stand up on the pedestal so he could be fitted. Meanwhile, Miles watched as the boy's face broke into a grin. He knew he was doing the same as well.

"Miles!"

"Draco!"

They spoke simultaneously, "What are you-"

They both burst out laughing, not allowing themselves to finish their sentence.

It was Draco who spoke first. "I didn't know you were coming here."

"I didn't either, it's been so long since we saw each other."

It was true. James and Lily had allowed Draco and Miles' other friends to come over in the past, but recently, that had stopped. Dumbledore had been over much more often, and once he'd gotten wind of Miles' friends, he forbade James from letting them come over. Not that Miles would have had time to see them anyway, with all the training he had to do.

"Yeah... so long. What happened?" Draco's face betrayed all the emotions that he was likely feeling. Confusion, hurt, maybe anger? Miles was taken aback since for the time he'd known Draco, he'd always been rather good at hiding his emotions, having learned to do so from a young age thanks to his father. Lucius Malfoy did not care for expressing feelings.

And on top of that, as far as Miles knew, a proper explanation had not been given to the Malfoys regarding why he and Draco couldn't meet up. As far as they must have known, the Potters shunned them away for their reputation, having previously been affiliated with Voldemort. However, there were still several members of the Order, James included, who refused to believe that they had switched sides, and the only reason they had was that they didn't have a leader anymore.

"I- Well- it's a long story."

Draco scoffed. "Really? You'll be here for the next half hour or so, and I'm not in a rush to go anywhere. Besides, I happen to enjoy long stories a great deal."

Trapped, Miles had no choice but to explain everything. His parents and the rest of the Order member's reluctance to accept the Malfoys and other families, and Dumbledore's obvious disapproval. Since he was the Boy Who Lived, he needed a lot of training, and Dumbledore had to be around to help him out. When he'd gotten word of Miles' friendship with Draco, he'd immediately shut it down, and due to their beliefs, Lily and James hadn't tried to stop him.

By the time he was finished, Draco was shaking his head. "That's ridiculous. I'm aware that my family is still very dark, anyone would be once they'd met my father. But what's wrong with being your friend?"

"Dumbledore told me it would tamper with my image," Miles muttered sourly.

"Yeah right, like your image could ever be ruined. You're the Boy Who Lived!"

"Try telling that to him."

"I will if you want me to."

"You wouldn't actually-"

"Try me. My father and I don't agree on most counts, but for some reason, he doesn't mind my being friends with you, and he'd probably take it to the Minister if he knew."

"You're serious?" By now Miles' eyebrows had nearly disappeared into his hair.

Draco stared at him, his face showing nothing but slight annoyance. "Do I look like I'm not?"

Miles shook his head fondly. "I'd pay to watch that encounter."

With Draco now knowing why they couldn't have met before, the boys fell into their standard friendly banter. Madame Malkin fussed over the two of them, adjusting their robes to fit them. Occasionally she'd raise an eyebrow at certain points in their conversation, but all with a good-natured gleam in her eye. The process wouldn't have normally taken that long, but since they were both of high standard, their parents had asked for their robes to be professionally tailored, meaning that the job took a while.

Their robes were almost perfectly fitted when the bell above the shop door chimed. There was Harry and their parents, James and Lily looking very disgruntled, Harry's appearance not much better. Madame Malkin finished their robes and left them to continue their conversation as she went to talk to the other Potters.

☆

Harry got up on the pedestal, as Lily and James took the standard Hogwarts robes, and asked Madame Malkin to kindly do a quick job on them, as they didn't have much time. He rolled his eyes discreetly, knowing that after this, they were likely going to go to Fortescue's for ice cream, then Ollivanders. After that, he was sure James would take Miles over to Quality Quidditch Supplies. They had plenty of time, just not for him.

He watched Miles and Draco talking from the other side of the shop. The two appeared to be joking around, as they were laughing while at it. Oh, what he wouldn't give for a friendship like that. He knew Miles tried his best to make time for Harry as well, but for once he'd like to make a new friend. And watching Draco Malfoy with his brother, he wished more than ever that it could become a reality.

He saw Lily and James side-eying the two of them. He knew his parents wanted Miles to be happy, and if Miles was happy being friends with Draco and the rest of their friends, so be it. But thanks to Dumbledore, that wasn't possible, and he knew his parents were wary of the old man finding out they had disobeyed his rules. Just the thought of him made Harry's fist clench. If it weren't for him, his life could have been so much different.

Screw Dumbledore.

Before he knew it, his robes had been tailored, though not as nice as Miles' had been. Not to mention, they were pretty standard, nothing like the ones he'd seen his brother and Draco wearing, with their silk trim.

After making duplicate copies of all their robes, they went out. They bumped into Draco's parents, with whom Lily and James exchanged words. It wasn't the friendliest interaction, and yet for the sake of their children, they at least tried to be civil. He watched James explain to Narcissa why the boys couldn't meet, and she nodded, disapproval obvious on her face as a result of Dumbledore's actions.

They all decided to get ice cream at Fortescue's, and since they were with others, Harry was allowed to get his scoop. He got his favorite, the treacle tart, and as soon as he'd taken his first bite he realized how much he'd missed it. However, he knew the experience wasn't as enjoyable as it should have been, as the adults were at their table and the kids had their own. Though Miles tried to include him, for some reason, Harry couldn't manage anything more than two-word answers around Draco, and eventually, the two of them just gave up.

They left the ice cream shop soon after, the two families going their separate ways, though the tension that had been in the air when they'd first seen each other seemed to have dissipated. At least, Lily and Narcissa made sure to make plans for tea and bring the boys along. James had told Lucius that they ought to speak to Dumbledore together, and to Harry's surprise, he'd agreed.

Their next stop was Ollivanders, as he'd predicted. However, unlike the robe shop, he'd been looking forward to this. He'd looked forward to getting his wand for ages, yearning for the day when he'd finally be able to practice magic. For Miles, that hadn't been a problem, since thanks to his training, he had already mastered wordless magic with James' wand and was set to begin wandless magic the following summer. Nevertheless, he knew his brother was just as excited as he was.

They walked into the shop, and though the main area seemed small, just over the counter Harry could see the rows and rows of wands on the huge shelves that extended to the back of the building. No one was there, but Lily walked up and pressed the bell on the desk, prompting a, "Just a few seconds!" From the back.

True to his word, Mr. Ollivander was behind the counter in seconds, so quickly that Harry thought he must have apparated, though why do that for such a short distance was a mystery to him. They went about the process of picking their wands. Miles went first, and after a few different wands, he finally found the one. Mr. Ollivander had pronounced it as, "Holly, dragon core, 12½ inches. Reasonably supple."

Harry was next. The process took longer for him, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw James eyeing the stack of wand boxes littered on the counter, his expression wary. Lily was also looking at James, though she was sporting an amused smirk at his reaction. 

Finally, he found the right one, Holly, phoenix feather core, 11 inches. As he swept it down and red sparks emitted from the tip, Mr. Ollivander clapped. MIles joined him and following their son's lead, so did James and Lily. For the first time all day, Harry smiled.

After getting their wands, they went to Quality Quidditch Supplies. His parents had been surprised when Harry asked if he could go too but showed no objection. Miles was enthusiastic that Harry was going. 

Truth be told, Harry had never been all too interested in Quidditch, at least not like his father and brother were. It was an interesting sport for sure, but seeing as the only experience he'd had riding a broom was Miles' old one, and that not for very long, he just wasn't sure.

As expected, once they entered the shop, James and Miles gawked over everything, including the display for the Nimbus 2000, which was a pretty nice broom if Harry said so himself. He spent most of his time with Lily, looking at accessories such as the various broom compasses, gloves, and goggles that they had for sale. 

After that, they went home. Harry went up to his room with his share of things, intending to flip through his textbooks and get a moment to himself for the first time today. Though he did have to admit, while busy, it had been a very good one.